Recipe of the Month

My awesome friend Alisha has something better than the Rainbow Connection--she has Cheap Chicken Connections. We were able to get boneless, skinless chicken breasts for 30 cents a pound. That's right, a 30 pound box cost me $10. Alisha and I did a marathon chicken session at her house two weeks ago and canned most of it, but we left some frozen as well. I haven't been as stingy with chicken as a result and we've been eating a few more chicken meals than we normally do.

This month's recipe comes from the Shepherd/Meek family cookbook and I love it. You can use either raw or canned chicken for this recipe, but you'll need to modify it a little if you're using the canned version.

Aunt Lu's Chicken Casserole

4 chicken breasts
1/3 cup italian dressing
2/3 cups uncooked regular rice
1 bag (16 oz) frozen broccoli stir-fry mix
1 can (2.8 oz) French fried onions (the kind you put on green-bean casserole)
1 3/4 cups chicken broth or boullion
1/2 tsp italian seasoning

In a medium bowl, mix salad dressing, rice, veggies, 1/2 can onions, broth and italian seasoning. In casserole dish, pour 1/3 of the rice mixture, top with chicken breasts, and top with remaining rice mixture. Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Check chicken to make sure juices run clear and it is done, and test rice for softness. You may need to cook longer. Once chicken and rice are done, top with remaining onions and bake for 5 minutes more.

Our family loves this casserole. The textures and flavors are really delicious, and I'll definitely be adding this one to our regular rotation.